The U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region announced a
temporary closure of all 18 national forests in California
due to the wildfires ravaging the state. Earlier this week, the
Forest Service closed eight forests in the state including
Sequoia, Angeles, Los Padres, Inyo, San Bernardino, Stanislaus,
Sierra and Cleveland National Forests.
The organization is now closing the remaining 10 national
forests, which include: Eldorado National Forest, Klamath
National Forest, Lassen National Forest, Mendocino National
Forest, Modoc National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, Plumas
National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Tahoe National
Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. The Forest
Service said this decision will be re-evaluated daily as fire
conditions change.
In a bill signing ceremony and press conference on September
9th, Governor Newsom provided an update to the status
of many of California’s fires. As of yesterday, there were fifty
new starts and twenty eight major complex fires in the state.
Several major fires listed by the Governor included the Fork
Fire, Bear Fire, and Willow Fire. The Governor expressed optimism
that the CZU Fire, LNU Fire, and SCU Fires were all beginning to
show signs of improved containment. The Governor also addressed
issues related to spotting fires, but was encouraged by
predictions of lesser wind in the days ahead. In addition, the
Governor also mentioned that California was continuing to receive
help from mutual aid from across the US and Canada.
Finally, the Governor mentioned that the state had received two
more Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) from the Federal
Government. California has received consistent and helpful
support from the federal government including several FMAGS for
major fires and Federal Emergency Declarations.
